Theories Of False Memory

Many factors exist that lead individuals to believe that our memories are accurate, even if we are remembering them incorrectly. According to Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel (2014) people are likely to misinterpret their memories of what they know and are able to accomplish. This illusion can be demonstrated through testing an individual’s abilities and knowledge. A person’s weak spots in their learning and memory can be brought to light through testing (Brown, Roediger & McDaniel, 2014). There are previous studies and findings on false memories that show how people are susceptible to illusions. Individuals are likely to be suggestible to false and incorrect memories when presented with information at a slowed down rate. This may be due to when

Perhaps the earliest theory is known as the overwrite or trace alteration account (Ayers & Reder 1998). This theory states that the original (correct) memory was overwritten and replaced by the false information provided (Loftus 1975, 1979; Loftus et al., 1978). Once the false information is encoded in the brain, the true information disappears from memory. For example, if someone knew that the capital of Russia is Moscow, but was later told by someone that the capital is actually St. Petersburg, then their prior knowledge of Moscow being the capital completely disappears from their memory and is replaced by the (false) knowledge that St. Petersburg is the capital. Some believed that the memory was not impaired by the false information, but in fact the incorrect statements given after misinformation were due to task demands; this is known as the strategic effects account (McCloskey & Zaragoza, 1985). This theory states that perhaps subjects simply forgot the information, and they would have answered the question wrong regardless of whether the question is misleading. Therefore, there is a preference to chose the misinformation effect in absence of memory. Another explanation, the blocking hypothesis, suggests that the false information prevents individuals from accessing correct information (Bekerian & Bowers, 1983; Bowers & Bekerian, 1984; Chandler, 1991; Morton, Hammersley, & Bekerian, 1985). Simply put, because the false information is the most recent information one has heard, it is the information they will access first. The recent presentation of misinformation makes it difficult for people to recall the correct information which was presented at a later